Bruins goalie prospect Malcolm Subban trying to hit the spot

Malcolm Subban, the Bruins' first-round draft choice in 2012, spent last season making adjustments to the pro game. Subban is continuing to work on his positioning, believing it will make him a more effective, better rested goalie.

WILMINGTON – Malcolm Subban is the only one of 23 participants in the Bruins Development Camp who has played a year of pro hockey.

Subban also stands out because he’s one of only two goalies (Zane Gothberg is the other) and one of only two first-round draft picks in camp. David Pastrnak, drafted 25th overall last month, comprises the other half of that exclusive club.

Subban doesn’t want to take that big-fish, small-pond thing too far, though. And he definitely doesn’t want to be flopping around like a fish out of water.

The Bruins’ 2012 first-rounder (No. 24 overall), therefore, is using Development Camp to continue work on a project started last season at AHL Providence. He’s trying to rely less on his tremendous athleticism and more on getting to the right place at the right time a little sooner.

“The speed’s obviously faster” in the AHL than at the junior level in the Ontario Hockey League, said the former Belleville Bull, “so it’s about anticipating the play at a quicker pace. It might be the same play you faced in the OHL, but it happens a split-second faster, so you have to anticipate it a split-second faster.”

There’s a good chance Subban will have to do that more often next season. While challenging for the No. 2 slot in Boston isn’t out of the question (Niklas Svedberg is the early favorite to back up Tuukka Rask), he’s probably more on track to move up to the No. 1 role in Providence. Two-year AHL apprenticeships got Rask, and now Svedberg, to the NHL.

“Only time will tell,” Subban said. “But I felt like I had a pretty good year last year and I’m ready to take on the challenge (of a No. 1 role in the AHL).”

Subban, 20, made 33 appearances in Providence as a rookie last season, posting a 15-10-5 record, 2.31 goals-against average and .920 saves percentage. The percentages bettered those of Svedberg (2.63, .910), who went 25-15-4 in 45 appearances.

“I thought last year was huge for my development,” Subban said. “You’re adjusting to the game, seeing where you belong, what kind of style you have to play. Obviously, you don’t want to change too much, but I felt like I made a couple of adjustments going to the AHL. I thought it went really well, to be honest.”

Proper positioning was one of Subban’s major areas of emphasis and will continue to be in 2014-15. Presuming he’s in the AHL and handling a workload as large or larger than Svedberg’s last season, he doesn’t want to wear himself down.

Page 2 of 2 - “It’s not only because the game is faster than junior, but it just makes the game a lot easier,” said Subban, who is 6 feet, 2 inches and 200 pounds. “There’s a lot less stress on your body if you’re in the right position instead of thrashing around.

“You don’t want to be wearing out your body if you don’t have to. That takes a toll on you, especially over the second half of the season. It just helps your body a lot if you’re in the right position.”

AROUND THE BOARDS

Subban, who went 4-5 in shootouts last year despite a strong .750 saves percentage, endorsed the AHL’s approval of a 3-on-3 overtime for next season.

“To be honest, I love shootouts,” he said. “They’re my favorite thing to do. At the same time, it’s kind of irrelevant to the game. … I mean, does a basketball game come down to a free-throw contest in overtime?”

AHL overtimes will start at 4-on-4, but if the game is still tied after three minutes, then four minutes of 3-on-3 will be played before a shootout, if necessary.

“I’m welcoming it,” said Bruins assistant general manager Don Sweeney. “I think games should end with players dictating it, not necessarily in a 1-on-1 environment. … I think the games that end with more players on the ice are probably better served to determine who’s going to make the playoffs.”

Ice time schedules for the final two days of Development Camp are 3 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. on Sunday.

Mike Loftus may be reached at mloftus@ledger.com. On Twitter.com: @MLoftus_Ledger.